Vince Carter and the Toronto Raptors didn't let their first two losses of the season spoil their home opener.

Carter scored 25 points and Morris Peterson added 23 as the Raptors beat the Dallas Mavericks 109-92 Friday night.

Peterson also had eight assists and seven rebounds for the Raptors, who lost their first two games of the season against Orlando and Miami.

''We came out emotionally charged. We were back home and coming off two disappointing losses,'' Peterson said.

Carter, who went 8-for-32 in his first two games, finished 11-for-23 with seven assists and five rebounds after receiving loud cheers during pre-game introductions.

''It's just nice to get a win, period,'' Carter said. ''It's unfortunate that we didn't get off to the start that we wanted, but what are you going to do about it? You can't get frustrated. If you do you'll be 0-5.''

Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki was forced to leave the game seven minutes into the first quarter with a sprained left ankle he received in a collision with Antonio Davis. Davis was called for a foul, but Nowitzki went to the bench because he was too hurt to shoot his free throws. NBA rules state that once a player attempts free throws for an injured player, the injured player can't return.